RE: 911:: Lone Dispatchers

[Guest guest]

We work 1 dispatcher to a shift at my agency, and no - there is no protocol

for checking on us. We also do not have any cameras at our doors, so if

someone buzzes the door at 3 am we have no way of knowing if they are a 'bad

guy' or not. My greatest fear was to be here alone on graves and have some

victim pound on the door to be let in, and I would have to make the decision

to either leave them out there to be attacked or let them in the door and

run the risk of being a victim myself. (our front door leads practically

right into dispatch, there is just a counter and some glass panels between

us and the public. The glass is not safety glass, just frosted)

I have made the decision unless there is an officer in the building with me,

NO ONE is getting through that front door.

Lori

Paso Robles PD

Paso Robles, CA

>>For those of you that work alone... does your agency have

a protocol for

" checking " on the Comm Officers?<<

[Guest guest]

I can at least match that if not top it.... Our front door doesn't

lock. public has access to our lobby 24/7. We are seperated from the

public with a piece of plexi-glass window and a combination locked door.

(we have one elctronic one, but have not yet programmed it to the

telephone number like TAMU did...although, Annette, our students are

about as bright!

No way to lock the doors from dispatch (a request I brought up many

moons ago was a " lock-down " feature which keeps everyone in (prisoner

decides he doesn't want to stay in the Florida Atlantic Ramada) or

everyone out (angry intoxicated group of the above subjects friends)

5 years ago, when the building was built there were NO LOCKS ON ANY OF

THE DOORS!. Anyone could have wandered in the backdoor and cornered the

disaptcher in the dispatch room --it only has one way in and out.

-

FAUPD

Boca Raton, FL

Lori wrote:

<snip>My greatest fear was to be here alone on graves and have some

> victim pound on the door to be let in, and I would have to make the decision

> to either leave them out there to be attacked or let them in the door and

> run the risk of being a victim myself. (our front door leads practically

> right into dispatch, there is just a counter and some glass panels between

> us and the public. The glass is not safety glass, just frosted)

> I have made the decision unless there is an officer in the building with me,

> NO ONE is getting through that front door.

>

[Guest guest]

HI,

On Mid shifts when things got not busy, we made radio checks every

hour. If Dispatch missed one Shift Commander checked on Dispatcher.

Vern

Retired

prg wrote:

>

> For those of you that work alone... does your agency have a protocol

> for

> " checking " on the Comm Officers? ::::::::::::snip::::::::::::::::

[Guest guest]

WELL MORE AS A SAFETY ISSUE...WHEN I WORKED AS A LONE EMD DISPATCHER IN A

CITY ON MIDNIGHTS FROM 1900-0700 IN THE TOP FLOOR OF A BUILDING SET IN THE

INDUSTRIAL DISTRICT ABOUT 3 MILES AWAY FROM THE GARAGE....I WAS SITTING AT MY

DESK ON NIGHT WHEN I GLANCED UP AT THE DOOR MONITOR AND JUST SAW THE BACK OF

SOMEONE WALKIN UP THE STAIRS. I KNEW DAMN WELL I DIDNT BUZZ ANYONE IN AND

NOONE ELSE WAS SUPPOSED TO BE IN THE BUILDING BUT ME. I DIDNT HAVE TIME TO

CALL THE RADIO ROOM AT PD HQDS SO I JUST OPENED THE MIKE AND EMS HEARD

EVERYTHING. FAST THINKING ON MY PART, BECAUSE I SCUFFLED WITH THIS GUY.

LUCKILY FOR ME IM NOT A TINY LITTLE GIRL AND HELD MY OWN, SOON ENOUGH THERE

WAS A GOOD 10 RADIO CARS AND ALL MY EMS GUYS AND THE GUY WAS HAULED AWAY IN

CUFFS.

TO THIS DAY I STILL DONT KNOW WHY HE BROKE IN. BUT FROM THEN ON THERE

HAD TO BE TWO PEOPLE IN THE BUILDING AT ALL TIMES. AND AS AN ADDED SAFETY

PRECAUTION (AT MY INSISTANCE) ONE MUST BE A MALE. BUT FROM WHAT I HEAR,

SINCE I HAVE LEFT THEY HAVE MOVED DISPATCH IN TO THE GARAGE....LONG OVERDUE I

THINK!!

TAKE CARE AND KEEP SAFE~

SOMEWHERE IN THE SWAMPS OF JERSEY

[Guest guest]

,

We mostly work alone at my department. We do not have anything in place

either. For a while last year I worked 3rd shift, and one night, sitting in

a deserted station, I was eating and suddenly got the paranoid

thought, " what if I were to suddenly get choked on food? there is NOONE here,

and I might not be able to broadcast that I need help " Needless to say, I

didnt eat ANYTHING on shift for the rest of the time I was on 3rd. We are

working to get at least 2 people assigned per shift...<<keeping fingers

crossed and holding breath...hope the uniform looks good with a blue face!>>

Freida

La Vergne, TN

prg wrote:

For those of you that work alone... does your agency have a protocol for

" checking " on the Comm Officers? Last summer when I was on midnights, I

remember radioing an officer just to make sure my radio hadn't died

(it's a University - we're dead in the summer.. REALLY dead). Some

nights would go without using the radio for hours.

[Guest guest]

I can't see that happening on my shift. We are supposed to have 2

dispatchers at all times, but they'd know on the street if I passed out

while working alone. #1- we have so many officers who think it is a job

duty

to run every out of state veh who dares travel through our fair city and #2-

they gotta stop in every 5 minutes to see if I've got a snack in there.

Lyn

magik@...

911:: Lone Dispatchers

> For those of you that work alone... does your agency have a protocol for

> " checking " on the Comm Officers

[Guest guest]

This is a MAJOR safety issue for you!!! At our old building, we could buzz

people into the lobby, from which our office was not secure. But we had a

camera AND an intercom. Plus we could walk down the hall (with our

handhelds) and talk to the person through the glass door if the intercom was

out. PLUS, there was a second door just inside with a dead bolt so that if

the first door lock broke (which it did occasionally) we could still lock

the door - we just couldn't buzz people in. We also didn't let in anyone we

were not comfortable in letting in.

Sometimes people would come to the front door, look through the window at

the lobby, look at the intercom, back up and walk AROUND the PD, knocking on

every door trying to get a response, then end up back at the front door and

press the intercom - like they should have done in the first place!

But I digress...

Sometimes people would knock on the side door by dispatch. We were

instructed never to open this door when knocked on unless we KNEW who it

was. It was a solid door with no way to tell who was on the other side.

Currently, people can come into our lobby, but they are unable to reach or

see us. They contact us using a courtesy phone to call our regular

non-emergency line.

You need to forward a request IN WRITING asking for a camera AND an intercom

to the front door.

Even an officer in the building is not enough protection for you. How would

you summon them? Can you guarantee that you can get to the radio quickly

enough? What if there is traffic?

Be sure that you point out the safety issues involved in this.

annette hallmark

ahallmark@...

<<snip>>

We work 1 dispatcher to a shift at my agency, and no - there is no protocol

for checking on us. We also do not have any cameras at our doors, so if

someone buzzes the door at 3 am we have no way of knowing if they are a 'bad

guy' or not. My greatest fear was to be here alone on graves and have some

victim pound on the door to be let in, and I would have to make the decision

to either leave them out there to be attacked or let them in the door and

run the risk of being a victim myself. (our front door leads practically

right into dispatch, there is just a counter and some glass panels between

us and the public. The glass is not safety glass, just frosted)

I have made the decision unless there is an officer in the building with me,

NO ONE is getting through that front door.

Lori

Paso Robles PD

Paso Robles, CA

[Guest guest]

In my 20+ years in the Air Force the dispatcher was often a single

person post (both for law enforcement and security dispatchers - some

bases had separate centers, others had them combined). I don't recall

problems, but that was always a concern. Usually the shift supervisor

had a key to the facility, in case the dispatcher was ill, plus the

dispatcher had a duress alarm that went off at another 24 hour post

(base command post, main gate, and so on). Relief had to be provided by

the supervisor or a unit coming in off the road.

EJ

AF Retired

Fayetteville Communications

[Guest guest]

okay, now this is something I don't understand...

What makes the fact that a lone person being a male require less security

than it being a female? The person is still as alone and as vulnerable. No

weapon, no backup, and very vulnerable. It's the situation, not the sex of

the person.

We have security officers that patrol parts of campus. We have one very

remote part of campus that the security officers patrol at night for a

certain period of time. They rattled doors, checked windows, rode around,

etc. Well, some of the female security officers took exception to the fact

that they were doing this and requested that they be excluded - which the

department agreed to. What makes it any different for them than a man? To

me this is reverse discrimination, taking advantage of a preconceived notion

to get special treatment. If you get hired to do a job, you should do it

just like anyone else who is hired to do the same job.

We had a male officer, a big tall officer, who got knocked over the head

while he was walking through a building, during daylight, on main campus.

He wasn't a female and something happened to him. Do our officers partner

up to do foot patrols now? No, they are just a little more cautious when

they make their rounds. Training and vigilence are required no matter your

sex.

If all the dispatchers are male, should security protocols be abandoned? Of

course not. You make conditions safe for the person, not the sex.

Sorry, guys. Button got pressed....

annette hallmark

<<snip>>

O THIS DAY I STILL DONT KNOW WHY HE BROKE IN. BUT FROM THEN ON THERE

HAD TO BE TWO PEOPLE IN THE BUILDING AT ALL TIMES. AND AS AN ADDED SAFETY

PRECAUTION (AT MY INSISTANCE) ONE MUST BE A MALE. BUT FROM WHAT I HEAR,

SINCE I HAVE LEFT THEY HAVE MOVED DISPATCH IN TO THE GARAGE....LONG OVERDUE

I

THINK!!

,,snip>>

[Guest guest]

I am new to the group and thought I would briefly introduce myself. My

name is and I work for an Air Ambulance and Hospital communications

center in portland oregon. The not having anyone to come check on your

is actually starting to get more and more serious. Where I work, I work

graveyard and Im alone. I dont get any breaks, lunches and I used to get

a relief person for about 5 minutes at night but that doesnt happen

anymore either. Funny thing is, we had an operator a couple years ago

that coded (code 99) and luckily someone else was working that shift with

her but had nobody been there, she wouldn't be here today and still to

this day, we dont get breaks or lunches!

Chris

Portland Oregon

[Guest guest]

I thought it was bad where I work, Chris....geeezzzz.....how do

you....uhhhhmmmm...get a restroom break?...I have always teased our

supervisor that we (work midnite shift, btw) are expert sprinters when it

comes time to " relieve ourselves... " I have also, tongue in cheek, said it

would be nice to have a port a pot in the ole dispatch room.....As for

eating....I eat protein bars as a meal. sighhhhh.

I will stop complaining now that I have read some of the posts....take care!!!

Cin in good ole Ohio

happy day, be safe

[Guest guest]

NO bathroom breaks, even? wow......that being the case...even though you love

your job....that is wrong, wrong, wrong.......email me offline if you care

too....

Cin in good ole Ohio

happy day, be safe

[Guest guest]

At night, we cannot leave the telecomm room because of the possibility of

a code (code 99) or any kind of emergency and most of us that work on the

night shift have trained ourselves to get through the night and as far as

sprinting to the bathroom, we dont have one close enough. There is a lot

to explain and I really dont complain but still, it gets old. btw, i

think this discussion group is great. Im glad I found it. Hope

everything is going fine in Los Alamos and all you hard workin

dispatchers take care.

from Oregon

[Guest guest]

Even though we have a bathroom right in our dispatch center, some of the

dispatchers still call in an officer to relieve them if they think...

they'll.. be.. a while.... Well, you know what I'm talking about. *blush*

One time we were having a dispatchers meeting and right when it started one

of the dispatchers managed to clog the commode. Of course she had to ask

where the plunger was (in front of everyone) since we don't normally keep

one in there. Talk about embarrassing...

At our old building the bathroom was right next to our office. We took a

handheld and prayed the phone didn't ring. Well, it usually did and was

usually the inhouse line. At our new office, I had a phone installed in the

bathroom so we could see what line is ringing. If it was an important line,

we could still answer it without having to be completely zipped up. I know

it sounds corny but it does take time to pull up and zip up to run to the

phone (then there is usally someone who happens to be walking by at that

time...) I put a short cord on the handheld so no one would be expected to

take calls while sitting on the pot... Visiting dispatchers from other

agencies get a kick out of it!

We almost didn't get this bathroom installed. I was really stubborn about

having it put in. (I can really be obstinate when I want to be) Otherwise

we would have been forced to go to the other side of the building to the

locker room. Complete impossibility.

annette hallmark

ahallmark@...

[Guest guest]

I really dont wanna sound like one to complain because im not. There

have been incidents here where people have gone to the bathroom in a

garbage can because nobody was able to come up and relieve us! I know

911 operators have to endure this daily and before I joined this group, I

never realized that there are actually dispatchers out there that have to

work alone! My works philosophy on this so far is to put it under the

rug and hope all goes well. When it becomes 4 in the morning and you

have been there since 6pm the night before and you have to go the

bathroom beyond belief and are worried about leaving the phone, what do

you do? (and trust me, I would NEVER use the garbage can, just couldnt

bring myself to do that)

Chris

Oregon

[Guest guest]

On Thu, 11 May 2000 at 19:52:36,

Lowe wrote:

>

> At night, we cannot leave the telecomm room because

> of the possibility of a code (code 99) or any kind of

> emergency and most of us that work on the night shift

> have trained ourselves to get through the night

This is not only inhuman but also illegal. OASHA issued regulations

about accessibility of bathrooms to employees some 2-3 years ago.

I no longer have the OSHA directive cite handy, but if you check the

OSHA pages at the Dept. of Labor website and do a search for

bathroom, you should come up with the applicable ruling, regulation,

and some memoranda documenting OSHA's interpretation of the

rule.

Just in case you're interested.

-jackie

Jackie McElroy

y Creek Fire Dept.

Walt Disney World, Florida

(I speak for me and only me.)

http://www.reedycreekdispatch.webservepro.com

http://sites.netscape.net/mcjackie/index.html

mailto:mcjackie@...

[Guest guest]

Thanks for the suggestion jackie. I will look into that. I really dont

mind but still there are times that I wish I had a bathroom for lifes

little emergencies hehe

Thanks

Chris

[Guest guest]

Annette Hallmark wrote:

>

> Even though we have a bathroom right in our dispatch center, some of

> the

> dispatchers still call in an officer to relieve them if they think...

> they'll.. be.. a while.... Well, you know what I'm talking about.

> *blush*

>::::::::::::Snip::::::::::::::

Hi,

An agency next to us actually had an operating position in the

" Throne Room " . Phone, Speaker, Mike, Note pad and pencils. All bases

covered.

Vern

Retired

Served Proudly

PS> For NASCAR43. Just in case you have not heard. Adam Petty, killed

in practice today.

Vern

[Guest guest]

Frieda,

I often had the same thoughts while working solo on mids.However my old

department was connected to the fire dept and their bunk room was about 50

feet away from the dispatch room. I can recall seeing an episode of Rescue

911 years ago when a dispatcher actually did choke while working alone. She

used quick thinking and immediately set off the rescue tones. When no one

came over the radio after setting off the tones several times guys came

rushing to see what was going on. She was lucky to have guys that didn't

just let it go.

Barb -Lee

Oak Lawn Central Dispatch,IL

[Guest guest]

> I can't see that happening on my shift. We are supposed to have 2

> dispatchers at all times, but they'd know on the street if I passed out

> while working alone. #1- we have so many officers who think it is a job

> duty

> to run every out of state veh who dares travel through our fair city and

#2-

> they gotta stop in every 5 minutes to see if I've got a snack in there.

> Lyn

> magik@...

----------------

One sure fire to get a check up is not to answer your radio. They could

give a hoot if you're bladder has been full for three hours and you are

emancipated from lack of food but they don't get that tag back they wanted

and they are running hot to see what happened to dispatch. We had a power

outage once, lost the whole building including dispatch. The Sgt was in

there right away saying " What the heck happened everyone was marking and

nobody answered " Kinda hard without a radio, luckily I had my cell phone

and was able to notify MPD to take over for me. But boy when I stopped

talking to them they got concerned.

Sara

[Guest guest]

Vern

Your so tactful - I noticed u said " note pad " not paper.

Rich

> An agency next to us actually had an operating position in the

> " Throne Room " . Phone, Speaker, Mike, Note pad and pencils. All bases

> covered.

> Vern

[Guest guest]

In a message dated 00-05-11 01:42:58 EDT, you write:

<<

For those of you that work alone... does your agency have a protocol for

" checking " on the Comm Officers? Last summer when I was on midnights, I

remember radioing an officer just to make sure my radio hadn't died

(it's a University - we're dead in the summer.. REALLY dead). Some

nights would go without using the radio for hours.

>>

Not alone, but when the radio has been quiet for a bit I have had a unit come

up and ask me the time....not that they don't have watches and clocks in

their cars; they just want to hear a voice.